Materials which possess near infra-red (NIR) reflectance characteristics have proven to be valuable in many current applications. Such materials reduce NIR-induced heat buildup and find use in automotive and marine coatings, containers, colored plastics such as vinyl sidings, etc. Thermally robust compositions also find use in inorganic and organic glazing and aerospace, architectural and other glass and ceramic decorative applications where reduced heat buildup is desired.
Other applications which make use of NIR reflective materials include protective camouflage for military applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,171,383 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,221,147, both hereby incorporated in their entirety by reference, disclose IR reflective bismuth manganese oxide green pigments with improved heat buildup properties.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,989,056, hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference, discloses IR reflective black pigment compositions containing a halogenated copper phthalocyanine and a perylenetetracarboxylic acid diimide.
DE 31 11 650 and DE 33 11 375 disclose greenish, reddish or bluish black isoindolin colourants having a high IR remission.
US 2003/0 083 407 discloses polymeric articles comprising red, violet, blue or brown bismethine benzodifuranone colourants and teaches away from the isatin-based based benzodifuranones of WO 00/24 736, which discloses the compound of formula
(example 12b).
EP 1 217044 discloses near infra red reflecting composite pigments comprising a white pigment coated with a near infra red transmitting organic pigment, particularly preferred the black pigment of formula

DE 19540682 discloses coating compositions for heat radiation reflecting coatings comprising at least one black pigment, at least one colour pigment, finely dispersed silicic acid and optionally white or other pigments, fillers and/or coating additives. In example 1, Chromofine® Black A 1103 (Dainichiseika, an azomethine-type pigment of undisclosed structure, having no Colour Index classification) is used.
WO 01/32 577 discloses pigmented vitreous materials, amongst which a glass plate coated with tetraethoxysilane, aqueous nitric acid and the colourant of formula
(example 41), which has an absorption maximum at 760-765 nm after heating to 200° C.
In spite of the advancements made in the art, there remains a need for new, stable, IR inert compositions.